Why Ilan Meslije wasn’t the only one to blame for Preston’s goals against Leeds

An afternoon to forget Leeds United against a struggling Preston North End side, Graham Smith spotted another man at fault during Brad Potts’ goal that ended up costing Leeds two precious points.

Preston hold off Leeds to end impressive run

Sit down in Championship and after an impressive run of two defeats in their last six games, many expected Leeds to continue their form against a Preston side mired in mid-table battle with a top-six finish just a fantasy at this stage. But football is never that simple and the Whites soon found themselves in a frustrating encounter despite grabbing a late point.

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Scoring what could be the decisive goal in the automatic promotion race, Potts ran onto the end of Milutin Osmajic’s pinpoint cross to head home after a disappointed Meslier, whose fumble was not enough to keep Leeds level with just 23 minutes on the clock.

Despite the fact that many were quick to point the finger at the disappointed goalkeeper, however, Smith of The Yorkshire Evening Post decided to share the blame, highlighting the role of Pascal Strujko on Preston’s opening goal.

Despite being on top for now, Leeds must turn their attention to their next chance to bounce back, which they will have against Oxford United in a game that Daniel Wake‘s side, on paper, should take all three points. However, as Preston pointed out, anything is possible in England’s second tier.

Although there is still a long way to go, any potential advantage could prove to be the key to unlocking promotion to the Premier League. And with a four point advantage over Burnley, Leeds currently have that advantage. However, after a frustrating time against Preston, there is now every chance Burnley can find their way to Norwich City and join Farke’s side.

It is once again a game in which Meslia should also be questioned. As quick as Smith was to share the blame and also point the finger at Struijk, there is a strong argument that the shot stopper should have prevented Potts’ effort.

It’s not the first time he has cost Leeds this season either, as he gifted promotion rivals Sunderland a late equalizer in October. With the January transfer window only a few weeks away, Meslier’s mistakes certainly present Farke with an interesting question to answer.

Still, until the end of this month at least, Meslier remains Leeds’ number one and must return at the next opportunity to prove the growing doubters wrong.